Author: Ken Hartman
Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.
Romans 5:1 NLT
The peace spoken of in Romans 5:1 is not merely a feeling of inner calm, though that may come as a result. The peace Paul writes about is, most importantly, a change in our relational status with God. Before Christ, you and I were at odds with a holy God because of our sin and rebellion. There was a wall of sin separating us from our Creator, a wall that goes all the way back to Adam and Eve and the fall.
But the good news of Advent—the Gospel message—is that this wall has come down for those who put their faith in Jesus Christ. Paul writes that we have been justified by faith. Our sin and guilt are removed, and Christ's perfect righteousness is credited to our account. The result of this is life changing as today’s verse says - “We have peace with
God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us." This peace gives us a state of relationship with our heavenly Father. We can commune with him through worship and prayer. We can listen to His voice to help guide our lives. It means we no longer fear His wrath or judgment. We move from a state of separation to being God’s beloved children, with free access to His grace.
When I was growing up, I always associated Advent as a countdown to Christmas. Our church did an Advent wreath, and the Sunday that we lit the fourth candle, I knew Christmas was less than a week away. While my childhood self didn’t think much about the coming of Jesus, I thought a lot about the coming of Christmas presents. In the same way, the peace that comes from reconciling with God the Father is a gift. We can’t buy it, we can’t earn it, we can only accept it by putting our faith in Jesus.
This Advent, as you reflect on the coming of Jesus, remember this incredible gift of God’s foundational peace. The baby in the manger came specifically to reconcile God and the entire world through His life, death, and resurrection. This relationship with God is the anchor that allows us to weather the storms of life and experience an internal peace that "surpasses all understanding."